1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an ankle brace and more particularly to an ankle brace including a tensioning system which functionally stabilizes the ankle as it reaches extreme ranges of motion.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventional braces for protecting joints of the body do so by restricting or limiting motion to the joint to which it is applied to prevent a new injury or protect a pre-existing injury. In some cases, this may be effective but in other cases such as in athletics it is not very functional providing that their joints can function within normal ranges of motion. An ankle joint, just like all the joints in the human body, has a natural range of motion that it can move through without causing damage to itself. As it reaches the end of these ranges, the body has structure such as ligaments and tendons to create tension to end range of motion and protect the joint. Many of the prior art ankle braces do prevent the ankle exceeding its extreme ranges of motion but do not provide the necessary flexibility to permit the athlete to function normally.